Flexible support brace for ankle

ABSTRACT

An ankle brace. A sleeve is formed of flexible elastic material to conform to the human ankle, with a top opening and a foot opening. A first sleeve portion conforms to the posterior region of the ankle; a second sleeve portion conforms to the anterior region of the ankle; a third sleeve portion conforms to the medial region of the ankle; and a fourth sleeve portion conforms to the lateral region of the ankle. The medial and lateral sleeve portions are formed with an increased volume of flexible elastic material relative to a posterior and anterior sleeve portions.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/440,004 entitled Flexible Support Brace, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,105,251, which was the U.S. National Phase of International Application No. PCT/US2013/075066, which in turn claimed priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/737,659, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to a flexible support brace for therapeutic support and resistance to movement in joints, such as the knee, ankle, wrist and elbow.

BACKGROUND

Joint injuries are common for both competitive and recreational athletes, or for those suffering from arthritis. For example, a sprain is a stretching or tearing of a ligament that joins one bone to another, and may be caused by a fall, twist or blow to the joint, while a strain is a twist, pull or tear of a muscle or tendon (tendons connect muscle to bone) caused by stretching or contracting the muscle or tendon more than normal. Other types of injuries, such as bursitis, tendonitis, or repetitive injuries (carpal tunnel syndrome), may be mild or severe.

While the knee is probably the most commonly injured joint, the ankle, wrist and elbow are also frequently injured. Taking steps to prevent injury is important, but once a joint injury has occurred, keeping the joint stable is the primary goal for rehabilitation. To that end, there are a number of commercial products that seek to provide support. For example, the Ace® bandage is a well-known elastic wrap that is used to wrap around an injured joint, providing some degree of uniform support throughout the injured area. However, such a bandage does not provide focused support and/or resistance to movement based on the nature of the injury or the particular joint movement.

There are also elastic braces sold by Ace and others specifically designed for the ankle, knee, elbow or wrist, for example. However, these location-specific braces are uniform in material construction, and still do not provide adequate focused support and/or resistance to joint movement based on the nature of the injury or the particular joint movement.

Thus, it would thus be desirable to have an improved brace that is focused on providing support and/or resistance to specific joint movements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a human anatomical subject illustrating the three primary planes of joint movement.

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of a generic brace structure.

FIG. 2B is a top plan view of an alternative brace structure having one side formed in a trapezoidal shape.

FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of a knee brace.

FIG. 3B is a front plan view illustrating a knee joint in four different rotational positions.

FIG. 3C is a front perspective view of the knee brace of FIG. 3A showing the axis of knee joint rotation.

FIG. 3D is a front plan view of a human right leg showing the myofascial meridians running through the leg.

FIG. 3E is a front plan view illustrating the knee brace of FIG. 3A over the knee joint of FIG. 3B in one of the bent positions.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of an ankle brace.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a wrist brace.

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of an elbow brace.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 1. Overview

This disclosure describes a flexible brace for stabilizing and supporting an underlying joint. The brace is formed from a flexible elastic material such as a silicone or polyurethane. The brace has a generally annular structure with a main section formed with a pattern of large holes disposed throughout the main section, and at least one support section formed with a pattern of small holes aligned along a plane of motion of the underlying joint or a meridian proximate to the joint. The smaller holes provide an increased volume of material that supports and stabilizes the underlying joint.

2. Joints and Myofascial Meridians

The human body may be considered an ordered collection of many bones, some connected by joints that permit bodily movement, such as knee, ankle, elbow and wrist, which are the initial focus of embodiments of the braces described herein. Of course, there are connective tissues such as ligaments, synovial fluid, etc., that facilitate joint operation. The concept of myofascial meridians is used to describe lines connective tissue that run throughout the body, linking all parts of the body, and providing the organized structural forces required for motion. (See, e.g., Myers, T., “Anatomy Trains,” Journal Of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, vol. 1, issue 2, pp. 91-101, January 1997). All of the foregoing can be taken into account, as further discussed below, in constructing a suitable brace to provide support for different physical issues of the user.

It is helpful to provide a frame of reference for physical descriptions, and thus FIG. 1 illustrates an anatomical FIG. 10 having a knee 12, ankle 14, wrist 16 and elbow 18. The three primary planes of movement can be described as: the sagittal plane 20, a vertical plane that divides the body into left half and right half; the frontal plane 22, a vertical plane perpendicular to the sagittal plane that divides the body into an anterior or ventral (front) half and a posterior or dorsal (rear) half; and the transverse plane 24, a horizontal plane that divides the body into upper and lower portions.

The most common joint movement is flexion and extension in the sagittal plane, typified by the hinge joint of the elbow, the modified hinge joint of the knee, and the condyloid joint of the wrist. The movement of the ankle hinge joint is a little more complex, including dorsiflexion (movement is the frontal plane); plantar flexion (movement in the sagittal plane); and a slight circumduction (movement in the transverse plane). Generally, the extensor muscles that create/assist the extension movement are weak compared to those that create/assist the flexion movement.

3. Building a Support Brace, Generally

FIG. 2A illustrates one embodiment of an annular structure 200 formed as a flexible brace. The brace 200 can be formed by injection molding, for example, using a silicone material such as Mold Star® silicone rubber or other suitable elastic materials. Although brace 200 is shown as cylindrical in shape, other embodiments can be made to better fit the knee, ankle, leg, wrist, elbow, and arm, as discussed below. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, another brace 250 could be formed with anterior half 251 formed to have a semi-circular profile and the posterior half 252 formed with a trapezoidal profile to provide a better fit over the knee, elbow, etc. Further, any such braces could be made and sold in standard sizes, such as small, medium or large, or custom made to order. The advent of 3D printing to quickly and inexpensively form custom molds may facilitate production of custom braces.

Referring back to FIG. 2A, the annular brace 200 has a top ring 202 and a bottom ring 204, both formed as solid ribbons of material around the top and bottom of the structure, with one or more sections or side panels having different size holes, such as panels 210 and 220, formed between the top and bottom rings. The side panels may be uniform in material thickness and density, but preferably, the material will vary in thickness and/or density as a means to define support portions of the brace as discussed below. For example, the panels may be molded generally to a thickness of 2.5 mm, but additional material could be added to specific support portions. For example, panel 210 covers most of the area between the rings 202, 204, and may be molded with a standard thickness of 2.5 mm, while smaller panel 220 may be molded with an increased thickness of up to 5 mm to enhance the ability of the smaller panel 220 to both stabilize the underlying joint and to store energy for resistance to movement of the joint. Friction bumps 206 may be formed on the inside portion of the top ring 202 to help grip the body above the joint and keep the brace from slipping.

In this embodiment, side panel 210 has a pattern of large holes 212 formed throughout the panel. For example, the large holes 212 may be formed to have a diameter of 12.7 mm (½ inch). Side panel 220 covers a smaller, specifically targeted area of the brace, e.g., a vertical section between the rings 202, 204, and has a pattern of smaller holes 222 formed throughout that section, for example, with a diameter of 6.35 mm (¼ inch). By making the holes 222 smaller, the side panel 220 or support panel has more material disposed through that section than side panel 210 and can therefore provide more support through a range of motion of the underlying joint. Thus, the support panel 220 should be formed along a line or section of the brace that is coplanar with the plane of motion for the underlying joint, on the anterior side of the joint. A circular section 230 having large holes 232 may be formed in the middle of the smaller hole section 220 as less restrictive area for the knee cap (patella) or the elbow, for example. More than one support panel may be formed in a brace to provide support along multiple planes of motion. Further, as noted above, an increased thickness of material may be used in regions having supports panels. Alternatively, or in addition, support panels may be formed along one or more meridians of the body.

Thus, in general, a flexible brace can be designed to control any the range of motion for any joint. The use of thinner and thicker portions of material in the brace, combined with the use of larger and smaller holes, can be engineered for particular physical issues to provide appropriate joint stabilization as well as energy storage to resist undesirable joint movements.

Although commercial processes are likely to create and use standard injection type molds, the emergence of 3D printing processes may allow a variety of molds to be easily and inexpensive built with amazing accuracy, in the shape of anything from a straight cylinder to a bent elbow. Software to create 3D objects is readily available, such as Adobe® Photoshop CS6 Extended software with 3D modeling option. Further, 3D printers are also readily available, such as the MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer, or the FlashForge 3D printer. Such customization will enable the production of braces to control/stabilize any range of motion for any limbs/joints. Further, although 3D printing is still in its infancy, it is conceivable that it could be used to produce the actual braces rather than just the molds.

Creating an effective brace involves two steps. First, two fixed points are selected on the limbs to which the brace will be secured, then, material is formed between the two points so as to create a smooth surface against the skin. The volume of the material may be varied in different planes of movement. Any material in linear series will be fixed at the two points on the limb and stretched over the instantaneous axis of rotation for the joint, thus decelerating the effective moment arm that acts around the axis of rotation.

Because the two points are fixed, the flexible material will lengthen away from the joint center as the joint moves through a range of motion that changes the joint angle. At the joint rest or starting position, no tension is stored in the brace. However, at the end position, elastic energy will be stored in the brace.

The Poisson effect is an important mechanical characteristic that relates to the forces that are applied and created across a cross-section of material. Basically, when a body is subject to a uniaxial stress in one planar direction, a strain is created in the other two perpendicular planes that increases the dimension the material in those perpendicular planes. The converse is also true. For example, a body experiencing a tensile load which generates an increase in its axial dimensions also generates a decrease in its transverse dimensions. Thus, by having top and bottom rings secured at a fixed point relative to the joint, the brace will self-tighten onto the limb thereby helping to stabilize the underlying joint(s) and hold the brace in place on the surface of the skin, in combination with the use of friction bumps on the inside of the rings.

As the brace de-forms about the joint center, the moment arm of the joint is pushed out to the surface of the skin, thereby increasing the load applied to the brace. The change in the joint angle is proportional to the amount of tension stored in the brace, and as the joint flexes, more energy is stored in the brace. Further, due to the Poisson effect, the tension is passed laterally through the brace wall as well as circumferentially around the brace.

In general, any material that exists anterior to the joint center will decrease knee flexion, and any material located posterior to the joint center will decrease knee extension. Likewise, material located laterally to the knee will decrease varus loading, while material located medially to the knee will decrease valgus loading.

If the brace has a uniform consistency and thickness, the wall created against the skin makes it difficult to differentiate the volume of material and to vary loads in specific directions. However, by using holes in the material and varying the circumference of the holes, effective stabilization and support for the underlying can be created. Thus, the use of larger holes presents less elastic in series thereby creating less resistance. However, the use of smaller holes puts more elastic in series thereby creating more resistance in a given direction of movement. The ability to create a linear resistance in a specified direction applies to all three planes of movement and is essential to creating smooth and efficient movement patterns.

Increasing the volume of material in selected areas between the rings enables coordinating pressure over joint centers as they move through ranges of motion. Advantageously, the volume of material can be increased by forming “straps” of additional material on the surface of the brace in the direction the myofascial meridians. The straps are formed as part of the initial molding of the brace. As the joint goes through flexion and extension, tension is passed though the elastic matrix pulling on the straps to secure them as well as lengthening them across the instantaneous joint center, much like bending a beam.

The placing of more material in line with the myofascial meridians helps to secure the brace in place as well as help support and control the dynamic nature of the joint center and direct force over or in a plane of motion.

4. Support Brace for Knee

FIG. 3A illustrates a brace 300 formed to better fit and support the knee. For example, the top ring 302 and corresponding top portion of the brace may have a larger diameter to better fit above the knee, and a slight rearward tilt. The bottom ring 304 and corresponding bottom portion of the brace have a smaller diameter to better fit below the knee. The posterior portion 310 of the brace 300 has a pattern of large diameter holes 312, while the anterior portion 320 of the brace has a pattern of smaller diameter holes 322. Further, several larger holes 324 are formed in correspondence with the patella. Thus the smaller holes 322 provide a linear series resistance on the anterior side to flexion and extension movements of the knee joint.

FIG. 3B illustrates the knee joint 330 with the femur 332 in four different positions. In position I (332 a), the leg is straight with the knee in full extension. In position IV (332 d), the leg is bent at the knee in full flexion. Position II (332 b) and position III (332 c) are intermediate positions. When building any brace, the center of rotation for the underlying joint is a key location. In some joints, however, like the knee, the center of joint rotation is not fixed in one spot, but moves with a flexion or extension movement. This movement is also illustrated in FIG. 3B, where point 334 a is the instantaneous center of rotation when the knee is in position I; point 334 b is the instantaneous center of rotation when the knee is in position II; point 334 c is the instantaneous center of rotation when the knee is in position III; and point 334 d is the instantaneous center of rotation when the knee is in position IV.

FIG. 3C is similar to FIG. 3A, but includes an axis of rotation 340 around the instantaneous center point 334 superimposed on the knee brace 300. Further, the relationship of significant meridian lines to the knee joint is also shown on FIG. 3C. For example, the superficial front line (SFL) 350 is behind the center of the brace on the anterior side; the lateral line (LL) 352 is behind the outside portion of the knee joint; and the deep front line (DFL) 354 is behind the inside portion of the knee joint. These meridians are also illustrated relative to the right knee in FIG. 3D.

FIG. 3E shows the brace 300 covering the knee joint 330 in position II having center of rotation 334 b, with top ring 302 snugly fit above the knee and bottom ring 304 snugly fit below the knee.

An evaluation of the performance of the knee brace was performed using a seated knee extension machine. A vertical stack of weights was loaded onto the machine, and the subject performed weighted leg extensions according to the standard control and test battery used by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). For example, the tests started with high weight and low repetitions then moved to low weight and high repetitions.

Four different attributes were tested, namely, anaerobic power, anaerobic endurance, aerobic strength, and aerobic endurance. The trials included a 5 minute warm-up on an exercise bicycle with no brace; then a control battery with no brace; and finally a test battery with brace. The trials indicated that, while wearing the knee brace, an increase of approximately 35% in anaerobic power was observed; an increase of approximately 37% in anaerobic endurance was observed; an increase of approximately 38.5% in aerobic strength was observed; and an increase of approximately 25% in aerobic endurance was observed;

5. Support Brace for Ankle

FIG. 4 illustrates a brace 400 formed to better fit and support the ankle, the brace is formed in a L-shape between the top ring 402 and the bottom ring 404 to match the shape of the foot, with a heel opening 401. The top ring 402 is sized to fit snugly above the ankle, and the bottom ring 404 is sized to fit around the foot. The posterior portion 410 and the anterior portion 420 of the brace 400 have patterns of large diameter holes 412, while the inside portion 430 and outside portions 440 have patterns of smaller diameter holes 432. The smaller holes 432 are vertically oriented to follow the spiral line lateral meridians 450 on both the medial and lateral portions of the ankle, while the larger holes 412 are vertically oriented on the posterior side of the ankle and also vertically oriented to follow the superficial front line meridian 452 on the anterior side. The smaller holes 432 provide a linear series resistance on both the medial and lateral portions of the ankle to rotational movements of the ankle joint.

6. Support Brace for Wrist

FIG. 5 illustrates a brace 500 formed to better fit and support the wrist. The brace 500 is formed like a glove, with five ringed finger openings 504 at one end and a top ring 502 sized to fit snugly above the wrist. Patterns of large diameter holes 512 are formed through the palm area 514 and through the area 516 below the thumb. However, it may be desirable to have an open area of no material is the palm area to enable gripping a racket or club, or an area of less material for an injury such as carpal tunnel, which does not require restrictive pressure from the palm side. Area 516 below the thumb is a compressed zone because the hand pronates around axis 540 that runs through the joint center 534, and supinates in the resting position. Patterns of smaller holes 514 are oriented to follow the deep front arm line meridian 550 that runs from the outside of the wrist across to the end of thumb, and also to follow the deep back arm line 552 that runs along the outside of the hand. The smaller holes 514 provide a linear series resistance on both the inside and outside of the wrist to rotational movements of the wrist joint.

7. Support Brace for Elbow

FIG. 6 illustrates a brace 600 formed to better fit and support the elbow. The brace 600 is formed much like the knee brace 300, with a top ring 602 sized to fit snugly above the elbow and a bottom ring 604 sized to fit snugly below the elbow. Patterns of large diameter holes 612 are formed vertically along the entire length of the anterior section 610 and also in the posterior section 614 above the elbow. Patterns of smaller holes 632 are oriented to follow the superficial back arm line meridian 650 that runs straight through the elbow, and also to follow the deep back arm line meridian 652 that runs from the outside of the elbow on the anterior side across to the inside of the elbow on the posterior side. The smaller holes 632 provide a linear series resistance to rotational movements of the elbow joint.

8. Conclusion

While one or more implementations have been described by way of example and in terms of the specific embodiments, it is to be understood that one or more implementations are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. An ankle brace comprising: a sleeve formed of flexible elastic material and adapted to conform to a human ankle, the sleeve having a top opening, a foot opening, a first sleeve portion adapted to conform to a posterior region of the human ankle, a second sleeve portion adapted to conform to an anterior region of the human ankle, a third sleeve portion adapted to conform to a medial region of the human ankle, and a fourth sleeve portion adapted to conform to a lateral region of the human ankle; wherein the first sleeve portion and the second sleeve portion are each formed to have a plurality of holes having a first size, the third sleeve portion and the fourth sleeve portion are each formed to have a plurality of holes having a second size, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size such that the third and fourth sleeve portions provide an increased volume of flexible elastic material relative to the first and second sleeve portions.
 2. The ankle brace of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes having a first size are distributed vertically on the first sleeve portion.
 3. The ankle brace of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes having a first size are distributed vertically on the second sleeve portion in a manner that is adapted to follow a superficial front line meridian in the anterior region of the human ankle.
 4. The ankle brace of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes having a second size are distributed vertically on the third sleeve portion in a manner that is adapted to follow a first spiral line lateral meridian in the medial region of the human ankle.
 5. The ankle brace of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes having a second size are distributed vertically on the fourth sleeve portion in a manner that is adapted to follow a second spiral line lateral meridian in the lateral region of the human ankle.
 6. An ankle brace comprising: a sleeve formed of flexible elastic material and adapted to conform to a human ankle, the sleeve having a top opening, a foot opening, and a plurality of panels including: a first panel vertically oriented along a rear portion of the sleeve and adapted to conform to a posterior region of the human ankle; a second panel vertically oriented along a front portion of the sleeve and adapted to conform to an anterior region of the human ankle; a third panel vertically oriented along a first side portion of the sleeve between the first panel and the second panel and adapted to conform to a medial region of the human ankle; and a fourth panel vertically oriented along a second side portion of the sleeve between the first panel and the second panel and adapted to conform to a lateral region of the human ankle; wherein the first panel and the second panel are each formed to have a plurality of holes having a first size, the third panel and the fourth panel are each formed to have a plurality of holes having a second size, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size such that the third and fourth sleeve portions provide an increased volume of flexible elastic material relative to the first and second sleeve portions.
 7. The ankle brace of claim 6, wherein the plurality of holes having the first and second sizes are circular, and the holes having the second size have a smaller diameter than the holes having the first size.
 8. The ankle brace of claim 6, wherein the plurality of holes having a first size are distributed vertically on the second panel in a manner that is adapted to follow a superficial front line meridian in the anterior region of the human ankle.
 9. The ankle brace of claim 6, wherein the plurality of holes having a second size are distributed vertically on the third panel in a manner that is adapted to follow a first spiral line lateral meridian in the medial region of the human ankle.
 10. The ankle brace of claim 6, wherein the plurality of holes having a second size are distributed vertically on the fourth panel in a manner that is adapted to follow a second spiral line lateral meridian in the lateral region of the human ankle.
 11. The ankle brace of claim 6, wherein the plurality of holes having a first size are distributed vertically on the first panel.
 12. The ankle brace of claim 6, further comprising a top ring formed around the top opening and a bottom ring formed around the foot opening.
 13. An ankle brace, comprising: a sleeve formed of flexible elastic material to conform to a human ankle, including: a top ring defining a top opening in the sleeve and adapted to be secured above the human ankle; a bottom ring defining a foot opening in the sleeve and adapted to be secured around a human foot in front of the human ankle; a first portion configured to conform to a posterior region of the human ankle and having a plurality of holes of a first size vertically distributed on the first portion; a second portion configured to conform to an anterior region of the human ankle and having a plurality of holes of the first size vertically distributed on the second portion; a third portion configured to conform to a medial region of the human ankle and having a plurality of holes of a second size vertically distributed on the third portion; a fourth portion configured to conform to a lateral region of the human ankle and having a plurality of holes of the second size vertically distributed on the fourth portion; wherein the second size is smaller than the first size.
 14. The ankle brace of claim 13, wherein the plurality of holes having the first size are distributed vertically on the second portion in a manner that is adapted to follow a superficial front line meridian in the anterior region of the human ankle.
 15. The ankle brace of claim 13, wherein the plurality of holes having the second size are distributed vertically on the third portion in a manner that is adapted to follow a first spiral line lateral meridian in the medial region of the human ankle.
 16. The ankle brace of claim 13, wherein the plurality of holes having the second size are distributed vertically on the fourth portion in a manner that is adapted to follow a second spiral line lateral meridian in the lateral region of the human ankle. 